Let Us Dream

With the help of his biographer, Austin Ivereigh, Pope Francis considers the challenges currently facing the world and how those challenges can be met spiritually and ethically in this aptly titled work. His Holiness discusses COVID-19, not just in terms of the dangers it represents, but also the opportunity the disease gives us to step out of our daily lives and contemplate change. He discusses his personal “covids,” when crises caused him to throw off old ways of thinking and to evolve spiritually. Written in three parts, the book sets forth the process of recognizing a problem, choosing (with spiritual discernment) how to approach that problem, and then taking action rooted in the awareness of the dignity of each individual. The environments and economies that oppress the poor merit much attention. However, the Pope does not unhesitatingly embrace all areas of social change; interestingly, while he praises the work of women in the church, including in leadership roles, he argues against the ordination of women.